Caple
Caple is a London- and Amsterdam-based SME credit platform that originates unsecured, fixed-rate growth loans of £500k–£5m for established UK businesses, funded through BNP Paribas Asset Management's SME Alternative Financing vehicle.
What they do
Caple sits between a bank and a company's equity layer, providing a complementary unsecured tranche where the borrower's existing bank or working-capital facility stops. Loans run five to eight years at a fixed rate with quarterly principal repayments and no security, debenture, or personal guarantee required. Credit decisions are based on the borrower's business plan, management quality, and projected cash flows rather than asset collateral. All deals are originated through Caple's accredited partner network of independent accountants and financial advisers; borrowers cannot apply directly.
Where they fit in a lower-mid-market raise
Caple is a strong fit where a profitable, established SME (£1m–£50m turnover, two profitable years out of the last three, DSCR ≥1.2x) needs an additional growth or acquisition tranche of £500k–£5m alongside—not instead of—an existing bank relationship, and where the business cannot or does not want to offer security. It is particularly well suited to MBOs, bolt-on acquisitions, and growth capex where the bank has already lent to its secured limit. The unsecured, fixed-rate structure means the borrower avoids asset valuation and legal security costs.
Where they are not the fit
Caple is not the right counterparty for facilities above £5m, for businesses without a two-year profitable trading history, or for borrowers whose net third-party debt already exceeds 4x EBITDA. It does not lend into property development, financial services, mining, coal, palm oil, or gambling. Businesses without an existing accredited partner (accountant or IFA in the Caple network) cannot access the product directly. It is also not suitable where speed is critical or where the borrower has had payment defaults in the last three years.
On the record
Caple International Limited is registered at Companies House under number 11460754, incorporated 12 July 2018, registered address 167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
BNP Paribas Asset Management acquired a 10% strategic stake in Caple in November 2017 and provides the institutional capital for Caple-originated loans through its SME Alternative Financing direct lending platform.
Caple lends £500,000 to £5 million per facility on unsecured terms — no security, personal guarantees or warrants — over terms of five to eight years, positioned as growth credit for established SMEs.
Caple supported an £2m eight-year unsecured loan to Grayson Thermal Systems and a £3m eight-year unsecured loan to Spinnaker International Ltd in the same week in 2023.
Caple facilitated a £3.5m (€4m) eight-year unsecured loan to Celestia Technologies Group to support an acquisition and growth, described as a cross-border facility.
Caple's origination model requires all loan applications to be submitted via an accredited independent accountant or financial adviser in its partner network; direct applications are not accepted.
Caple was founded by Michiel Slinkert (Managing Partner) and operates from offices in London and Amsterdam.
BNP Paribas Asset Management's SME Alternative Financing platform, through which Caple loans are funded, targets senior unsecured fixed-rate loans of €0.5m–€5m and has stated an ambition to provide €1bn per year in SME funding across Europe.
This profile is a curated reference note drawn from public sources, not financial advice or a recommendation. Appetite and terms change; a lender's fit for a given credit is established by approaching it, not inferred from a page.